WI #2 Religion

Religion is one of those things no one wants to talk about, but once you get into it you can't stop thinking about all the big questions. I shared a lot of my beliefs and questions with the class during our discussion because I felt comfortable enough in that setting to do so. This is an opportunity that I do not take for granted. I realize that there are not many environments, especially in school, where one gets to be completely open and also inquisitive of the very morals and standards that people choose to live their lives by.

One experience I had recently sent me into a very self-aware state. My father was raised Catholic, but wasn't actively involved with the church as I was growing up. A few months ago, my grandma (his mother) was diagnosed with cancer. It's been a trying experience for our entire family. I think this has made him re-evaluate some things in his life. He expressed to me that he deeply regrets not teaching me the importance of believing in God and Jesus Christ. He shared with me that his belief is that the specific religion you choose to follow is not the most important thing. He said he believes that the most important thing is that you believe in God and Jesus. We attended a mass together and it was a memorable experience no doubt.

Although I was not raised within any specific religion, I have done my best to research at least a few religions in depth. Buddhism is probably my favorite, because it is so drastically different than what I am used to seeing or hearing about on a day to day basis. "Buddhism is a tradition that focuses on personal spiritual development. Buddhists strive for a deep insight into the true nature of life and do not worship gods or deities" (BBC 2014). This Buddhist belief totally contradicts what my father is expressing to me. I don't believe that Buddhists are doing anything wrong or will "judged" poorly later for the way they are living their lives.

Here's my thing with religion- it's not that I don't care to know or want to find out the answers. It's not that I don't want to be a good person and be at peace with my spirituality because I do! I just truly believe that no one on this earth knows what they are talking about when it comes to life after death or the specific practices that one must do in order to be a good person. I understand that religious texts are supposedly historical, but I have a hard time with it. Just because I write a book it doesn't make it true right? I feel thankful that I have the ability to think critically for myself about these issues because I was not given much direction in the beginning, but it also makes me feel a little lost.